Senior Product Manager – Space

Critical Software is focused on building software for space missions, and they are seeking a Senior Product Manager to own and drive the strategy and growth of their on-board software platform, Karvel. The role involves working closely with engineering teams and mission operators to evolve the product and capture new market opportunities.

Responsibilities:

• Define and own the product vision, strategy, and roadmap aligned with business objectives and end-user needs
• Translate space industry standards and operational realities into clearly-defined product requirements to be developed, tested, and maintained
• Establish continuous discovery practices with satellite engineering teams and operational users, combining qualitative research and product analytics to uncover latent needs and pain points
• Benchmark against competitive and adjacent solutions across the flight software and space systems landscape
• Partner closely with engineering leads to shape solutions, write clear specifications, prioritize the backlog and drive agile delivery ceremonies, ensuring teams have the context they need to make autonomous, high-quality decisions
• Define and track product metrics (adoption, integration and qualification time, mission reliability outcomes, customer satisfaction)
• Collaborate with sales, pre-sales, and business development to support bids, proposals, and technical demonstrations, while identifying expansion opportunities
• Represent the product at industry events, conferences, and working groups to build visibility and credibility in the space community
• Recruit, mentor, and lead a team of functional analysts and product owners
• Establish product management best practices, frameworks, and tooling
• Foster a culture of evidence-based decision-making, user empathy, and outcome orientation

Requirements:

• Strong knowledge of the space industry, including its technical, regulatory, and operational landscape
• Proven experience in product management, ideally including time in a senior or lead PM role on complex B2B/B2G software platforms
• Proven track record of owning a product end-to-end: from vision and strategy through delivery and measurable business outcomes
• Experience with technically complex, data-intensive products (real-time systems, geospatial platforms, sensor fusion, C2/C4I, or similar)
• Strong ability to engage with and influence senior stakeholders, including government and public-sector clients
• Demonstrated experience working with cross-functional teams (engineering, sales) in agile environments
• Fluent English (written and spoken). Portuguese is a strong advantage
• Experience with GIS/mapping platforms, AIS data, or command-and-control software
• Background in growing a product team or establishing a product function within an engineering-led organization
• Familiarity with government/space procurement cycles and long sales processes
• Experience with safety-critical software development standards (CMMI, DO-178C, or similar)